@Autonomous
i recall the incident & i apologize for my direct inquiry into you being in the building & how it made you feel
prior to our interaction, Tony, a member of phat beets, came to me with a concern that there was a strange person walking around the building acting suspicious & he had never done this before so i thought it was serious
i don't know what caused him to seek me out but i felt obligated to help
it had been awhile since i had seen you & it took me a minute to recognize you
when you said you were a sudo member, i accepted your answer & went about my business 

On Fri, Jul 12, 2019 at 11:28 AM Autonomous <autonomous666@gmail.com> wrote:
I would like to share an encounter I had with Robb prior to this most recent incident with Deon.

I swiped my card at the front door and entered the building. As I was looking around for Marc who I was meeting at Sudo Room, I was accosted by Robb in a hallway who said in a loud voice "MAY I HELP YOU". I said that I was a Sudo Room member and was looking for Marc, and that I was "surprised that you don't recognize me, Robb". The entire time I was speaking, Robb was glaring at me in a hostile manner. I have not been back to Sudo Room since.

I would like to point out that 90% of communication is non-verbal and Robb's attitude towards people he doesn't recognize or like could be interpreted as hateful or racist without the use of specific derogatory words. Since Robb now says "he hasn't heard from anybody" on the encounter with Deon I am wondering if the views, opinions and attitudes expressed by Robb are also those of Sudo Room and the Omni,  and reflect the official policy or position of Sudo Room or the Omni towards unwanted guests.


On Fri, Jun 28, 2019 at 4:31 PM D. Scott Nanos <scott.nanos@gmail.com> wrote:
Greetings Sudo et al, I'm so sorry but I have to bring to your attention a recent, very unfortunate, inappropriate, and violent encounter a friend of mine, Deon Saunders, had with a guy named "Rob", who I don't think I know personally, although I'm sure he's well known around Omni in general. I don't believe he's a sudo member specifically, but I believe this incident sort of came into Sudo territory when Marc became involved; I also really respect and love what Sudo room provides to the community, and I know that Sudo is a powerful force within the Omni; as such, I'm writing to you all now because I believe this issue definitely needs to be dealt with, and not ignored or brushed aside. 

Basically, Deon is friends with Phat Beets and Food First, and has been frequenting the Omni in order to do work and access the community resources that are available. To my understanding, he often works in the Sudo room space. Although this should not need to be said, I can personally vouch for Deon as an upstanding and generous member of the Oakland community. 

Deon was having trouble accessing the space the other day and rung the Omni doorbell several times, at which point guy named Rob opened the door and started cursing at him and being very aggressive. After Deon was able to enter Omni, Rob then started following him around and harassing him, acting like a cop. Although this is egregious in and of itself, and a terrible counter-representation of the Omni's values, this all came to a head when Rob accused Deon of not being "an actual, normal, human being". Whether or not this was intentional, it evoked longstanding racist attitudes that black folks have been subjected to, suggesting that Deon was less-than, or sub-human. Deon was so offended that he promptly left the Omni and has not been back since. 

Besides this very loaded and hateful comment, this general kind of treatment and attitude, overall, is the EXACT opposite of the way black folks should be treated when interfacing with the Omni. Rob's actions are not okay, at all, and I strongly feel that a serious accountability process should be implemented for this incident. This is not a small matter. I've spoken with Deon, and he has agreed to participate. 

I've also heard that this type of incident has happened before at the Omni, specifically involving Rob. Correct me if I'm wrong, but apparently, the attitude that was expressed to Deon was that Rob is one of the main people that operates (i.e. helps to reproduce and sustain,) the Omni, and as such, people basically go along with what he says and does. If this is in fact the case, then an accountability process is even more imperative. In no way should labor, and by proxy, "power" derived from labor, enable a person to act with racism against members of the Oakland community. I think it's in the best interest of the Omni to address this issue immediately, for Deon, for the Omni, and for the Omni's relationship with the greater community of Oakland. 

I believe Marc was present for part of this incident as well, and although I know, Marc is so busy doing vital work for Sudo and Omni, it might behoove him to also participate in this process, as a witness. 

I am writing this email not because I am trying to "cancel" or ruin anyone, but because I care about Deon, The Omni, Sudo, and the Oakland community at large. This issue seems indicative of larger problems, and if addressed with love and respect and accountability, could seriously benefit all parties listed above, and improve the Omni and it's relationship with Oakland. 

I'm not sure where to take it from here, as I am personally extremely busy with other community-based activities in Oakland right now, but a mediator/facilitator should be sought out, ideally a black person, but at the very least, a non-black poc, and probably someone that isn't personally involved in the day-to-day operations at Omni, sudo etc. If i am able, I could possibly be this mediator, but I hope other options are sought out first, because a.) I'm a non-black, mixed race poc, and b.) I have very little capacity at the moment.

But please keep me in the loop regarding an accountability process for Rob, and I'll do whatever I can to help move this along and reach a fair and just conclusion.

Sorry to bring such difficult news to you all, but I could not stay silent. 

With love and Solidarity, 

Scott  


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